Seafood goodness

On a recent sunny afternoon we were in the mood for seafood, so we ventured over to Bud's in Lincoln Center.

The Record

On a recent sunny afternoon we were in the mood for seafood, so we ventured over to Bud's in Lincoln Center.

We were greeted by a friendly smile and asked if we preferred a table, booth or patio. Once at the booth another smiling person told about the day's specials. All sounded mouth-wateringly good. The bar area was a bit noisy with the buckets of ice being dumped every so often.

We ordered the seafood sandwich with Thousand Island dressing on sourdough bread with steak fries ($12.75) and a cranberry chicken salad ($11.50) with a cup of minestrone soup ($5.25).

The sandwich didn't have a lot of flavor, however the seafood had a clean, fresh taste. Unfortunately, it was overwhelmed by the sourdough bread. Two slices of sourdough made the sandwich too thick to easily bite into, and the sourdough flavor seemed a little strong for delicate shrimp and crab. In retrospect this sandwich would have been better with less bread, maybe as an open-faced version.

The cranberry chicken salad had an abundance of lettuce, four huge slices of tomatoes, and a generous scoop of chicken salad with almonds on top and dried cranberries mixed in. We were pleased by the flavor of the fruit and vegetables and salad. The salad came with ranch dressing, but our server also brought olive oil and balsamic vinegar as a savory option. We had asked for dressing on the side, and lo and behold, it was on the side. The staff were paying attention rather than just doing what was convenient for them. The minestrone soup had a flavorful broth with chunks of vegetables and potatoes. It was a nice way to get the meal started, although a bit overpriced.

Our server was friendly and attentive with service just under 40 minutes.

The restaurant was not busy when we arrived at 11:30 a.m., however when we left it was bustling with business. In addition to the main restaurant being busy the banquet room was hopping with people.

The restroom was clean and well stocked.

Bud's also offers a full dinner menu with appetizers from $8 to $16.50 and fish and seafood from $11.50 to $21, as well as dessert, a full bar and Sunday brunch.